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2010-09-23 - Strange Dreams
The doors to the lift part to reveal William Black, serene in posture as usual, who steps out onto the bridge with his customary air of slight removedness. He halts beside the command chair, staring in silence at the forward viewer for several moments, ostensibly focused thusly while in fact running a light empathic probe across Terra's musings. As he does so, he states in a quiet monotone, subtly laced with irony, "You, young lady, are in my seat." Terra Black actually rises as William comes up next to her. "You were not using it, Father," she points out with the same slight irony, almost matching the older Black's tone. As for her musings? Something is...troubling her. Most definitely. The faintest twitch appears at the corner of William's mouth, almost imperceptible, but it's enough to hint at playfulness with his daughter. "No, sit. I prefer that you continue logging hours at the helm." A slight increase of tension in his forehead, and the echo of a smirk fades from his expression. "Something troubles you, Terra. Will you tell me of it?" Terra Black moves to sit back down. "Dreams. Again." It is far from the first time the young healer has been troubled by such. Which might explain why she is up here...where better to avoid the telepathic pressure of other minds? "Were they familiar dreams," William asks, still standing beside Terra and gazing steadily ahead, "or new ones? Have you deconstructed their images and considered the result?" Of course, he's curious about her dreams and how they're impacting her. Especially when she seems troubled. "A little bit of both." She doesn't turn...she sat back down as asked, of course, so only her face tilts up towards him. "Just an image. A feeling of something reaching out to me from across a wide gulf." William gives a slow nod. "Of course. Stronger minds often reach out beyond themselves, particularly in dreams. It sounds as though you were perceiving one or many other strong minds, interpreting it as this image of the gulf." As usual, he arrives at one of the most simple, logical answers quite quickly. Terra Black nods. "Likely. I suppose it is most likely that there is another awakening telepath in the city...except I keep thinking I *know* this mind. Somehow." At this, William's right eyebrow swoops swiftly upward into a rather acute arch. "Know it? Someone from your school, perhaps?" He's striving to remain neutral, fully impassive serenity, yet Terra may detect subtle hints -- the tension of his shoulders, the precise timber of his voice -- that betray a mild concern. "Possible. There are certainly students there of the right age to be expressing mutant abilities." Mutants. A strange phenomenon, that...one she would very much like to understand better. Nodding, William remarks, "Mutants. Such a curious leap in human evolution. So... chaotic. I've not been able to trace the history of the genome far back enough to indicate a progenitor gene or other obvious gradual mutation. I nearly consider the term a misnomer." A beat, then, "Would a dream of any of these students trouble you so much?" Terra Black shakes her head. "No. I don't think so." She finally stands. "I don't know why it's bothering me so much." The poised healer, gone...its the sixteen year old girl. "And its definitely a misnomer, but English isn't the most precise language." "Indeed," is all William has to say to the mention of English. But, as Terra stands, he steps forward, turning around as he does so that they end facing each other. "If it concerns you so deeply, there must be a reasonable cause. I suggest that you meditate upon it until the answer comes to you." He glances back to the seat, then arches his brow again, if less dramatically. "I haven't interrupted your attempt, have I?" He generally does not consider the bridge a good space for meditation, not that this prevents him from using it as such when he chooses. Terra Black shakes her head. "I was attempting the other method...of not thinking about the problem." A pause. "It wasn't working." Wry, that. Of course, not thinking about a problem is...well...not that easy. Even for a trained and disciplined mind. William shakes his head, turning again, and lowers himself neatly into the chair. "It seldom does. Denial is a very... unhelpful state. My prior recommendation stands." A bank of glowing holographic controls fades into being before him, and he observes the readouts pointedly, asking, "Is there more you haven't said?" Terra Black shakes her head. "I don't know. It's been...every night for two weeks," she admits. "If it *is* a new person, we should probably try and find them before they get in trouble." Now a slight frown begins to for at William's lips. "Two weeks? Strange that I have sensed nothing unusual, then." He turns slightly toward Terra, eyes drifting half closed, as he casts his senses over the Astral Plane surrounding her, seeking to find what links or "fingerprints" might be left behind. "If it IS one of the people I know at school, it might just be that I'm more exposed to that person." Or...well. Other possibilities. The frown deepens. "No. There are no obvious connections via the primary Astral Plane. To this... you are specifically, particularly sensitive." Clearly, the idea troubles him. "Then perhaps it's just me." Not everything has to be about telepathy and astral connections. Sometimes it can be bad cheese. "Perhaps," William says, but his expression does not change. Coincidences and accidents are certainly possible, but he puts very little stock in them. If nothing else, they fail to satisfy the universe's sense of dramatic irony. "If there is no obvious connection, then..." She tails off. Peculiar to her...but no. Not possible. Utterly not possible. William seems disinclined to speak of impossibilities, either. Instead, he just nods and says again quietly, "I suggest you meditate on it, even if only to clear your mind and release it from you thoughts." With that, he falls quiet and becomes involved in his work. And so, the room lapses into silence. End scene. Category:Logs